Elections

The Office of Financial Management’s fiscal impact statement for I-1366 also makes it clear the Legislature is provided a choice: “The initiative presents the Legislature with a choice that leads to two possible and mutually exclusive scenarios.”

Though the primary election is Tuesday and the general election is still months away, independent spending on the races has surpassed $275,000. That’s double the outside money spent on primary- and general- election council races in 2009, when independent-expenditure committees chipped in $134,495.

Randy Dorn said Thursday he’s leaning against running but is waiting to see how the Washington state Supreme Court responds to the latest state budget that adds $1.3 billion for basic education. Even without certainty about Dorn’s decision, state Rep. Chris Reykdal, D-Tumwater, announced his bid Thursday, joining Tacoma Public Schools official Erin Jones of Lacey as declared candidates.

Opponents of Tim Eyman’s latest anti-tax ballot measure filed a lawsuit Thursday, alleging that the initiative promoter’s new proposal is unconstitutional. On Thursday, an Elway Poll of 502 voters statewide was released, showing 49 percent supported I-1366, 36 percent opposed it and 15 percent were undecided. In the past, Washington voters passed five straight initiatives supporting the two-thirds majority threshold, but did not address the state constitution.

Initiative 1366, Tim Eyman’s latest attempt to force “super majorities” to pass revenue measures in the Legislature, has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s office announced Wednesday. On the same day, however, the state’s Office of Financial Management reported it could blow a $1.4 billion hole in the state’s budget in FY 2017, its first year fully in effect, rising to $1.653 billion by 2010.

Only 30 percent of voters contacted for a recent survey by The Elway Poll say they’d definitely vote to re-elect him in 2016. But the news for the GOP isn’t so good either. Only 25 percent said they’re inclined right now to vote for a Republican for governor in 2016. Some 17 percent want another Democratic choice, and 28 percent are undecided.

“Across the state, progressives are running to solve important problems in their communities, from fully funding education to expanding transit options and ensuring paid sick leave for all workers,” said Erin Haick, Political Director of Fuse Washington. “We’re proud to support these outstanding candidates and look forward to helping them win in November.”

Overwhelmingly, rich, white people who live in Seattle’s waterfront and view homes fund Seattle’s political campaigns. If enacted, Honest Elections Seattle could spread the funding of campaigns from elite neighborhoods to the whole city.

Despite some outbreaks of truthiness, the state GOP won the messaging war in Olympia this year. Overall, Inslee had a miserable year. But in scoring points off Inslee, the GOP also kicks a couple of cans down the road: addressing climate change with a carbon tax and the state’s regressive tax code with a capital-gains tax. Polls show Washington voters are open to both.